Yes, anyone with a $2k-$3k budget can build a top tier high-end gaming rig. But if you don’t have that amount of cash or maybe a gaming rig isn’t necessarily a high priority you’ll be happy to know that, depending on your preferences, you can build a decent gaming rig from anywhere between $700 to $900 with the Operating System included. Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor, and any other peripherals are not included.
In this year’s selection, I have come up with 4 blends depending on one’s brand preference on core components – namely the CPU and the GPU. I prefer to use Amazon (yes, I am admittedly a Prime member), so keep in mind that all prices are based on Amazon’s pricing at the time of this writing and will change.
Criteria or must-haves!
Operating System: For an affordable gaming rig, Windows 10 Home (64-bit) will suffice. unless you needed pro features or were planning to install more than 128GB or RAM… stick with Win 10 Home 64-bit.
CPU: The CPUs I choose must fall in the high-end spectrum based on CPU benchmarks on www.cpubenchmark.net. I currently like the AMD Ryzen 5 1600 and the Intel i5-8400. Both have 6 Cores!
Heatsink: Fortunately, the Ryzen 5 1600 comes with a heatsink but the i5-8400 does not. So for builds using the i5-8400, I recommend using the Cooler Master RR-212S-20PK-R1 Hyper 212 Black Edition. The Hyper 212 Black Edition also supports AM4 chips out of the box in case you aren’t satisfied with the Wraith Stealth Cooler that comes with the Ryzen 5 1600.
Motherboard: I basically wanted a micro ATX board with 2 RAM slots, a GPU slot, and a PCI-E slot. The MSI B450M PRO-M2 for the AMD builds and the ASUS H110M-E/M.2 for the Intel builds satisfied those needs without eating too much of the budget just fine. A bonus that came with each of these motherboards is that they both support the new M.2 drives! How cool is that? If you don’t know why I’m so excited about M.2, read this article “Hard Drives 2017“.
GPU: The GPUs I choose must also fall in the high-end spectrum based on GPU benchmarks on www.cpubenchmark.net. I currently like the Radeon RX 570 and the GeForce GTX 1050 Ti.
PSU: This is a gaming rig, we’re not powering a rendering farm here. The EVGA Supernova 550 GM met my needs.
RAM: There are lots of options in this category, currently I find the Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) a good bang for the buck option. The motherboards I’ve chosen have two RAM slots to utilize a minimum of dual 8GB memory sticks for a total of 16GB of RAM – don’t go lower than this.
SSD: In all of these builds, I insist on using SSDs – they are fast and they are really good. I consider 500GB to be a good starting point and the WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB PC SSD is a great choice.
Case: The Thermaltake Versa H17 looks good and is very affordable and able to handle large 350mm long GPUs if ever needed and can accommodate the Hyper 212 heatsink.
WiFi Antenna: I insist on using a WiFi antenna – they are inexpensive and I am a minimalist, so if it means one less cable to worry about, I’m for it! The TP-Link TL-WN881ND N300 is an excellent choice.
And now I present to you, the builds…
The AMD-Radeon Build ($761)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit) = $107
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (Socket AM4), 3.2 GHz 6 Cores (12 Threads), 65 W = $134 (rank 202)
Heatsink: included with CPU
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-M2 = $75
GPU: Radeon RX 570 = $130 (rank 82)
PSU: EVGA Supernova 550 GM = $107
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) = $85
SSD: WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB PC SSD = $68
Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 = $40
WiFi Antenna: TP-Link TL-WN881ND N300 = $15
The AMD-Geforce Build ($801)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit) = $107
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (Socket AM4), 3.2 GHz 6 Cores (12 Threads), 65 W = $134 (rank 202)
Heatsink: included with CPU
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-M2 = $75
GPU: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini = $170 (rank 90)
PSU: EVGA Supernova 550 GM = $107
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) = $85
SSD: WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB PC SSD = $68
Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 = $40
WiFi Antenna: TP-Link TL-WN881ND N300 = $15
The Intel-Radeon Build ($841)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit) = $107
CPU: i5-8400 (Socket LGA 1151), 2.8 GHz 6 Cores (6 Threads), 65 W = $199 (rank 220)
Heatsink: Cooler Master RR-212S-20PK-R1 Hyper 212 Black Edition = $31
Motherboard: ASUS H110M-E/M.2 = $59
GPU: Radeon RX 570 = $130 (rank 82)
PSU: EVGA Supernova 550 GM = $107
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) = $85
SSD: WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB PC SSD = $68
Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 = $40
WiFi Antenna: TP-Link TL-WN881ND N300 = $15
The Intel-Geforce Build ($881)
Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit) = $107
CPU: i5-8400 (Socket LGA 1151), 2.8 GHz 6 Cores (6 Threads), 65 W = $199 (rank 220)
Heatsink: Cooler Master RR-212S-20PK-R1 Hyper 212 Black Edition = $31
Motherboard: ASUS H110M-E/M.2 = $59
GPU: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti Mini = $170 (rank 90)
PSU: EVGA Supernova 550 GM = $107
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) = $85
SSD: WD Blue 3D NAND 500GB PC SSD = $68
Case: Thermaltake Versa H17 = $40
WiFi Antenna: TP-Link TL-WN881ND N300 = $15
Conclusion
Can you build it for much less? Yes, you can. However, I like a good balance of affordability, performance, and as much quality as I can get. Any of these builds would serve as a solid gaming rig which can last you for years to come. As with any advice, take it with a grain of salt and do your due diligence. Research to make sure everything is compatible before you purchase computer components and build. You may use my recommendations as a guide but take note that I make no promises or guarantees that these will work out of the box once assembled. So do your homework, please!
Addition reading/viewing